Page 201 - WDT Magazine Egypt

For dinner, we headed to the award-winning fam-
ily run restaurant The Little Gloster in Cowes where
the sunset views over the water were only trumped
by the Scandinavian influenced menu. The tasting
platter for two was a feast of house cured gravad-
lax, Isle of Wight crab on toast, Vietnamese pork
belly and soup shots. We were absolutely stuffed
and declared defeat after the main course of sea-
food bouillabaisse and beef steak (selected from
beef-suckler herds that are within the top 1% of beef
in the world) respectively and had to forgo dessert
with much regret.
For a small island, the Isle of Wight has an
outstanding food and drink on offer. The mellow
climate ensures that the island is home to a huge
variety of local produce; the freshest seafood
straight from the fisherman’s catch, locally brewed
beer, wine and cider, organic fruit and vegetables
and delicious locally made ice creams.
The Garlic Farm in Newchurch, which is well-
known outside the island as well, is visited by some
200,000 travellers every year. After growing his
first crop in 1977, owner Colin Boswell travelled all
over the world, from California to Kazakhstan, to
discover new species and techniques that have
made him a firm food hero of the Isle of Wight. The
farm shop overflows with garlic of all varieties –
chutneys, relishes, garlic beer and even garlic ice
cream. On a whim, we bought a couple of elephant
garlic plants to take home, though these are said to
be rather destructive, so we shall see how that turns
out!
On the morning of our departure we rode e-bikes,
a new offering by The Seaview Hotel, to our last
Queen Victoria stop, Quarr Abbey. The imposing
red-brick Benedictine monastery is a refuge where
solitude and contemplation are the order of the
day. The monarch was a frequent visitor and her
daughter Beatrice spent her honeymoon in the
neo-Gothic complex. Quarr Abbey remains home
to a small group of Benedictine monks who strive
to dedicate their lives to God, and whose days are
filled with prayer, work and community life. Visitors
appreciate the tranquil atmosphere on the exten-
sive grounds and the abbey has some guest rooms
where people from all faiths are invited to hunker
down and avoid the stresses and demands of mod-
ern living, at least for a few days.
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